Boyd delivers but Le Guen is to be convinced

A PROVEN goalscorer failing to convince a Rangers manager of his worth is hardly a new scenario, but the relationship between Kris Boyd and Paul Le Guen is already shaping up to be one of the most intriguing issues of the season in Scottish football.

As Ally McCoist would testify from the years he spent under the often disapproving rule of Graeme Souness at Ibrox, sometimes no amount of goals is enough to persuade a sceptical gaffer you are his number one striker.
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When Le Guen was asked to analyse Boyd's match-winning contribution for Rangers against Hearts on Saturday night, his response carried powerful echoes of the grudging praise Souness would give McCoist 20 years ago.

"I am happy with his two goals but I think he could be better," said Le Guen. "He must be available for his partners. To score goals is very important, but I feel he must be aware that he must improve in the game."

Boyd, having been suspended for Rangers' opening game of the season, had subsequently voiced his frustration at making only substitute appearances in their next two matches as a series of chances were missed. Le Guen responded by informing the Scotland striker that talk is cheap and challenged him to provide an answer on the pitch.

Restored to the starting line-up on Saturday, one of four changes Le Guen made in the wake of the dismal 1-1 draw at Dunfermline six days earlier, Boyd did what he does best by grabbing both goals in the most significant result and performance of his French coach's short reign so far. Touché, you might think, but the cool handshake Boyd received from the manager when he was replaced by Filip Sebo 19 minutes from time indicated the Scotland striker still has his work cut out to establish himself under the new regime.

Perhaps Le Guen believes he can turn Boyd into a more rounded player, but evidence suggests that might be a futile and perhaps even damaging policy. As his tally of 39 goals for Rangers, former club Kilmarnock, and his country last season showed, Boyd is simply that most precious of footballing creatures who possesses the instinctive knack of being in the right place at the right time to perform the most crucial job in the game. To try and change the way Boyd plays may only lessen his effectiveness.

Any rational consideration of his performance on Saturday would have to conclude that Le Guen's comments were harsh. Boyd provided Rangers with the cutting edge they lacked in previous games, and his clever flick to set Dado Prso racing into the box to earn a penalty at the start of the second half was not that of a player short of awareness of those around him.

Boyd converted the spot-kick with typical deadliness, then four minutes later stole a yard on his marker Takis Fyssas to head Lee Martin's sweetly delivered free-kick beyond Craig Gordon from close range.

Rangers were well worth the victory over a Hearts side who, after a bright enough opening 15 minutes, were all too easily subdued.

Had goalkeeper Gordon not been in his now accustomed immaculate form, Hearts would have suffered a far heavier defeat. By contrast, a fine stretching save to touch Bruno Aguiar's free-kick over the top was the only telling contribution required of Rangers custodian Lionel Letizi. Hearts were slipshod in possession too often and the standard of their crossing was dreadful.

They were masters of their own downfall in many respects, not least with the almost comical way they lost possession from their own kick-off at the start of the second half and allowed Rangers to win the penalty breakthrough. There was no doubt about the award, the hapless Robbie Neilson's rash challenge on Dado Prso giving referee Kenny Clark an easy decision to make.

Hearts were entitled to feel hard done to by the official at the second goal, however, with Martin clearly taking a dive under the softest of challenges from Calum Elliot to win the free-kick. The 19-year-old winger, on loan from Manchester United along with right-back Phil Bardsley who made a fine debut, enjoyed a productive afternoon on the left flank where he toyed with both Neilson and the feckless Saulius Mikoliunas. Neilson's red card in stoppage time for a second bookable offence summed up the right-back's wretched day.

Le Guen, clearly a hard man to please, said Martin "must be more efficient" but there was no disguising the general satisfaction he derived from the victory. "It was great, we needed such a performance after two draws," said Le Guen. "As the game went on, we felt better and better. We are ready to fight with our rivals for the championship."

While Hearts coach Valdas Ivanauskas rued the ankle injury sustained by Roman Bednar which is likely to keep the Czech striker out of Wednesday's daunting Champions League assignment in Athens, it was captain Steven Pressley who best reflected the mood in the Gorgie camp. "We must do better than that," said Pressley. "Sometimes, you have to go back to basics. Hearts had become a difficult side to beat, an ugly side to play against, but we were too easy to play against today.

"We spoke about that after the game, it was a lack of concentration. When you lose goals, though, it is about your reaction to them and we have to react better than we did today. At times, we didn't show the composure and belief we should when we are coming to Ibrox. We have a hell of a lot of good players in our team and we have to believe that.

"There's nothing to panic about, because we had made a good start to the season before this, but our next two league games are at home and are very important in terms of our progress."
MAN OF THE MATCH

Dado Prso (Rangers)

The 31-year-old Croatian forward may be trying to overcome battle fatigue and his long-standing knee problem, but there were no signs of it on Saturday as he produced a tireless and intelligent display of front running which helped keep Hearts on the back foot for long spells.

Taken from the Scotsman